The ice-floe was so deep down in the water that the current that ran underneath drew it along. But the raft being on the surface was not so easily carried. Don thought for a few seconds.
"Dot, if we try to push that floe off we won"t be dragged along with it.
She"s doin" all the mischief!"
So both children turned their effort to shoving off the ice-floe and soon succeeded in moving it beyond the reach of the poles. As they watched it being caught gradually by the river current, Don whispered to his sister.
"Now, let"s get back as quickly as we can!"
But the poles were too short now to touch bottom, and there were no ice cakes about to offer the necessary resistance.
"What now?" asked Dot, looking at Don with full understanding of their dangerous position.
"What would you advise?" said Don, looking at the dark water.
"Can we swim ash.o.r.e?" asked Dot.
"Nope! not in this current. Besides the water"s as cold as ice, you know. We"d have cramps in a minute."
Silence for some time, while each one thought of some way to escape from the raft.
"I know! Pull up the chain from the water and let"s sling it over something on sh.o.r.e as soon as we float opposite!"
"Ain"t that just like a girl! Why, Dot, I thought that bein" my twin you"d have more sense than that!" replied Don, disdainfully.
True to her feminine nature, however, Dot lay down flat upon the raft and hauled in the chain with the loop at the end.
"You can"t fling it "cause it"s too heavy, and the raft will float out further all the time--not toward sh.o.r.e!" objected Don, as he watched.
Dot was still down on the raft but Don was standing up when, suddenly, an immense ice-floe coming down stream struck another one and shot out toward sh.o.r.e striking the corner of the raft such a blow that Don measured his full length out on the logs. The raft was partially submerged but was shoved out of the way of the floe, and left within a few feet of the bank.
"Hurrah! Now we can pole back!" yelled Don, scrambling to his feet to s.n.a.t.c.h his pole. He looked about but the pole had been washed off when the corner of the raft went under water.
"Hi, there, Dot, gim"me yours--quick!" cried Don, as he saw the raft slowly turn about and go out into the current again.
Dot rolled off of her pole, upon which she had been lying, thereby saving it from the water.
Don pushed and pushed for all he was worth and managed to propel the clumsy raft further toward sh.o.r.e. Every foot made it easier, for the water was shallower and the current less. Within a few feet of sh.o.r.e, Dot flung her chain out, bound to have her way about a rescue. As the chain shot out, Dot slipped on the wet logs, and fell into the water.
Don was stupefied for a moment, but Dot had great presence of mind and was going to swim when she felt a solid foundation two feet under water. She managed to stand up and called to Don:
"See, I"m standing on something hard. Guess it"s logs!"
As it was on one side of the raft, Dot held on to the edge of the raft and felt her way along the hard logs under water until she reached the extreme end of the raft. Here she let go and slowly shoved her foot ahead of her until she felt the water getting shallower as she proceeded toward sh.o.r.e. She was now but five feet from the bank where a huge pine log had fallen end-wise into the river. She climbed up and held on to the rough bark, scrambling, hand over hand, along the trunk until she reached the towering pile from which the pine had rolled.
Don saw the way to go ash.o.r.e, and immediately sat down on the edge of the raft and slid off into the water just where Dot had held on to the corner of the raft. He also felt the hard logs underneath and crept along until he reached the pine-tree.
As soon as he was up beside his sister, they looked at each other and heaved a mighty sigh.
"The raft"s skidding," said Dot, pointing out to the water.
Don looked; sure enough, the raft must have been caught in a side current and sent down stream.
"That tumble of mine was the best thing I did!" grinned Dot.
"Yes! an" if you hadn"t slung that chain ash.o.r.e you wouldn"t have tumbled into the water," admitted Don.
"Say, Don, how do you s"pose those logs are kept under water?" asked Dot, wondering about her escape.
After a few moments silence, Dot said, "Don, I guess I"m just a little bit cold. These things won"t dry out here!"
"So"m I--let"s go home!"
So the two trudged home, cold, forlorn, and hungry.
"That"s the first time I got left when I made up my mind to do anything!" grumbled Don, as the camp was reached.
"We didn"t get left! the river wanted to gobble us, and _it_ got left--just because I knew enough to fling that chain!" said Dot; the latter half of her sentence was given with a grin at her brother.
"Mercy sakes alive! where _have_ you two been to get so wet!" cried Mrs.
Latimer, meeting the twins.
"We were playing and fell into the water!" was all Don said, and no one ever knew the narrow escape the twins had from being whirled down the dreadful river, and, perhaps, drowned.
They were soon hustled into dry clothing and made to drink hot lemonade with plenty of ginger in it.
No unpleasant effects were felt from the drenching as every one of the children were too hardy from the outdoor life to take cold easily.
The very next day, Sunday, the weather grew so warm that everything was dripping. The timber-men found it impossible to cut more that season and started to get ready for the logging on the river. Cookee was ready to move on with the men, and the two families finished packing and were ready to start back to civilization early Tuesday morning.
The cubs were shipped off Monday morning with the trunks.
Mike almost cried as he said good-bye to the children, but he had had a fine winter"s income, and the sale of the cubs would give him enough money to keep him with care, in old age.
As the carry-all, filled with children and the ladies, started out of camp, the timber-men waved their hats and yelled after the disappearing vehicle, making the children feel that they were leaving good friends behind.
So the Five Little Starrs left their Winter Camp in the Canadian Forest and went home. We next hear of them in the book "Five Little Starrs on a Motor Tour."
THE END